1. Field of the Invention
A device for automatically presenting fasteners in a desired position for placement into a fastener application tool or machine.
2. Statement Of The Prior Art
In the use of fasteners, it is desirable to automatically present the fastener to the fastener application tool or machine in a predetermined disposition. For example, blind fasteners of a rivet-mandrel type are adapted to be secured to workpieces and comprise a hollow rivet with a flange at one end and a headed mandrel having a stem extending through the barrel of the rivet. Upon insertion of the barrel of the rivet into a workpiece opening, the mandrel stem is grasped by a setting tool and pulled so that the mandrel head upsets the rivet body against the unexposed surface of the workpiece. Examples of such tools are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,981,377 and 4,205,547.
There are a variety of different types of generally hand held tools, both manual and powered, that are used to set pull-type blind fasteners. For industrial production, it is desirable to use a power tool that may have an air or electrical power assist to pull the mandrel stem. This facilitates expediting the rivet setting operation. Such tools are normally manually loaded, that is, the mandrel stem is manually inserted into the nose portion of the rivet setting tools. This requires the tool operator to hold the tool with one hand and select the individual blind rivets, from a bulk source, for example, with the other hand and insert the mandrel stem into the nose of the setting tool. This presents a slow and cumbersome rivet handling problem during the rivet setting operation. This operation is illustrative of the necessity of automatically presenting a fastener in a predetermined disposition for placement into a fastener application tool or machine.
Thus, for example, in the use of blind rivet fasteners, it is desirable to provide a device for automatically presenting the mandrel stem in a position for insertion into the nose of the rivet setting tool which eliminates the necessity of the operator manually inserting the mandrel stem into the setting tool during each rivet setting operation. A device of this latter type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,102.
Devices for feeding different types of fasteners are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,832,458; 3,276,625; 3,494,014; 3,535,764 and 3,658,207.